By Kefiloe Kajane
The United States (US) Ambassador Rebecca Gonzales convened a bilateral dialogue with key government ministries to discuss Lesotho’s progress on anti-Trafficking in Persons (TIP) efforts in line with recommendations from the department of state’s 2021 TIP report.
Gonzales hosted minister of home affairs, minister of police and public safety, minister of justice and law Lekhetho Rakuoane, their respective principal secretaries, and several other key government stakeholders for an opportunity to review the country’s interim progress on critical anti-TIP efforts and make recommendations to ensure concrete and achievable results before the end of the reporting period in early 2022.
According to a statement by the U.S Embassy Maseru, the bilateral dialogue also underscored U.S. Embassy Maseru’s partnership with the government of Lesotho, community partners, and other key stakeholders who are working to advance local anti-TIP efforts and achieve demonstrable success on critical human trafficking concerns.
The minister of home affairs Motlalentoa Letsosa said Lesotho through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders has undertaken large strides towards addressing the challenges presented by the TIP Report 2021 more so, under challenging circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said through the National Strategic Framework and Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons 2021 – 2026, Lesotho have become more organized and effective in it multi-sectoral response to trafficking in persons.
“As part of government commitment in full ownership of the process we are pleased to report that the Multi sectoral committee is fully functional and coordination between and amongst government stakeholder ministries as well as non-governmental organizations and civil society has improved significantly,” Letsosa said.
